Archive of Our Own

The mixture of coffee, cinnamon, and sugar invaded Hitoshi's senses when he started to wake up. Faint rays of sunlight filtered through the window, indicating that it was too early, at least for him.

"Toshi, come on, you have to wake up. We have to leave soon, or we’ll be late," Hitoshi heard an exasperated voice. It seemed that whoever it was had been trying to wake Hitoshi for a while.

Grunting, Hitoshi snuggled closer in the sheets, covering his head with one of the pillows. He patrolled until almost 3 AM, so it was only fair for him to sleep as much as possible on his day off.

Unfortunately, whoever was trying to wake him up didn't seem like they would give up anytime soon. So when the pillow and sheets were removed from his body he growled. Sunlight beamed in his eyelids and he had no choice but to look up to meet blue eyes and an arrogant smile.

"Neito, the restaurant is not going to disappear. I want to sleep a little longer," Hitoshi said.

"Don't be lazy! You promised we'd be there early, and it's already 11 AM; if we don't leave soon, we'll be late for the lunch reservation. Plus Kat will be mad if we're not on time."

Sighing, Hitoshi sat up on the bed. He yawned and stretched his body, causing a little laugh to escape from the blond. Hitoshi was like a cat and was incredibly adorable when he wanted to be, oddly enough.

"Take a shower and get ready. I'll have coffee ready for you when you're ready." Leaning in, Neito gave a little kiss on Hitoshi's lips before turning around and leaving the room.

Being alone, Hitoshi wanted to go to sleep again. But he had some self-preservation, so he got out of bed, still yawning. He headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower to help him finish waking up.

Neito went straight to the kitchen after getting Hitoshi to wake up. He wouldn't deny that it caused him a bit of guilt to wake up the other when he worked until late the night before. Still, they had already made a reservation for lunch at Katsuki's favorite restaurant.

Starting the coffee pot, he took out his cell phone to send a short text to his other partner, a brief "We will be 10 minutes late" accompanied by a smiley face emoji and a heart.

Katsuki had left early that morning to fill in for Kirishima. The redhead and his partner, Kaminari, would have a visit from a social worker. They were trying to adopt a child after all.

Kirishima and Kaminari had been dating since their sophomore year at UA, so it was no surprise that those two ended up getting married two years after graduation. Now they were trying to be parents through the adoption process. Of course, even when he said he did not care, Katsuki was happy for them, so he had agreed to cover the redhead during the morning on his day off.

Neito came out of his thoughts as soon as he heard the whistle of the coffee pot. He poured it into Hitoshi's favorite mug, a mug with cats all over it in black, purple, grey, and white on one side and on the other the phrase “Why have sex if you can have cats?” a birthday gift Katsuki had given him. 

Hitoshi appeared in the kitchen as he finished serving the coffee. His hair was damp and tousled, fully dressed, and ready to get some coffee in his system.

"Here, I told Kat that we will be 10 minutes late so you can drink your coffee calmly" he handed the purple-haired man the mug full of steaming black coffee, without sugar, just the way he liked it.

"Thanks, I have tomorrow off too, so I'll probably sleep all day. Do you have work tomorrow?" The smell of the coffee was comforting to Hitoshi, and the bitter taste was perfect as he took a sip.

"Just paperwork, so I'll be back before noon." Neito said.

"Oh, we can watch a movie when you get back. Kitty Kat will be free tomorrow."

"You know he hates that you call him that," Neito couldn't contain his laughter when he heard that childish nickname.

"He should be used to it by now; it's been a long time since I started calling him that."

Neito started laughing. Both Hitoshi and Katsuki have had this strange game of making up nicknames for each other since high school. Hitoshi put the empty mug in the sink before taking Neito by the waist, leaning down and giving a small kiss to his lips, thus cutting off the blond's laugh.

"Let's hurry. We might be just on time if we leave now, and Kitty Kat won't get too mad at me for sleeping too much."

"Good luck with that; Kat will explode your face just from being late."

They both smiled at the thought of their other partner throwing a little tantrum for not being punctual. Even after all this time, that never changed. After another kiss, Hitoshi let go of Neito just as the house phone rang.

Hitoshi rushed to answer, still with a smile on his lips. Neito turned and quickly washed the mug in the sink, so they would leave everything in order at home before leaving.

The noise of something falling made the blond turn immediately. The phone was on the ground, and Hitoshi was in complete shock. Neito's eyes widened. His heart sank as Hitoshi released a few tears. Neito ran to throw his arms around his partner.

"Katsuki ..."

Katsuki was exhausted, and if it were up to him, he would be at home getting ready for a nice lunch with his partners. But although he did not show it very often, he cared about his friends. He knew that the social worker's visit was of utmost importance for both Eijirou and Denki. Knowing that had made it impossible to say no when the redhead had asked him to cover for him during the morning patrol.

He had left exceptionally early, and it was already almost 11 in the morning. Soon he would be on his way to meet his partners and enjoy the rest of the day and, of course, lunch in his favorite restaurant.

Overall the whole morning had been pretty quiet, nothing extraordinary to do beyond following the same old route. Katsuki had even taken the time to reply to the message he had received from Neito.

With only 30 minutes left to finish the patrol, he received an emergency call directly to the intercom from him.

"Dynamight here. What's the situation?" he responded, pressing the small button on the device in his ear and starting to run.

"Emergency, two mid-range villains are trying to rob the bank four blocks from your position. Reinforcements are needed, one of the villains has a shield quirk, and the heroes on the scene are not able to pass it."

"Hostages?"

"The bank workers and some civilians, they are trying to negotiate."

"I'm on my way."

Katsuki accelerated and began to propel himself with his hands to go faster. Already different possible scenarios and strategies were starting to pass through his head.

It took him about 5 minutes to get there. There were police patrols all over the place, along with a few sidekicks and just two professional heroes who he honestly couldn't remember.

"Dynamight!" one of the policemen said his name when he saw him arrive, causing the others to turn him as well.

He frowned and rushed over to whoever was in charge of the negotiation. A pointless one by the look of it.

"Have they requested anything?" he asked directly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nothing, we haven't been able to communicate. The villains don’t want to negotiate, Mr. Dynamight," replied the negotiator with anger and exasperation.

Angry, the professional hero turned to face the bank. One of the villains was right at the entrance using his quirk, creating a kind of shield so that the others could not enter or leave.

Quickly analyzing the situation, he did not see many opportunities. The villains had hostages, so rushing to fight could result in unnecessary civilian casualties.

Picking up the mediator's phone, he started walking to the front line so the villain at the entrance would see him dial the number. After two rings, he heard a voice on the other end of the line.

'Dynamight, what a surprise you're calling.'

'Let's stop this stupid circus. What the hell do you want to let the hostages go?'

'Ah, how aggressive, I would take care of my tone, Dynamight, or someone could get hurt.'

At that moment, a shot was heard. The screams of the hostages on the other side of the line make him clench his teeth in anger. Katsuki took a deep breath. He would blow up the damn jerk as soon as he had him in his hands.

'You fucking bastard. If you do anything to those people, I'll blow you to pieces myself!'

'Ah, how rude, Dynamight. You have no power here. All power is on our side; the above was a warning, next time, I will send you a body.'

'Tell me what the hell you want!'

'Hmm… What do we want? We want the heroes to retire. We will take the money and the hostages.'

'Like hell you'd get away with that!"

'Oh, but Dynamight, we can and we will. We are not going to get caught.'

Katsuki took a deep breath, quickly thinking what he could do. Although it annoyed him to admit, the fucking assholes had everything to win. They had hostages, which prevented the entire bank from exploding with the villains inside.

He huffed slightly, his brow furrowing even more. 'Let's do an exchange ...'

'Oh? Now we're talking. What do you offer, hero number two, Dynamight?.'

'Leave the hostages, take the money and take me.'

Laughter was heard on the other end of the line, making the blond's free hand clench while some smoke was coming out of it. He was getting angrier with each second.

'I heard you! Stop laughing bastard.'

'Ah, he's so funny, hero number two offers to be a hostage… Alright, on one condition.'

'What do you want, bastard?'

'I want you to use the police restraint handcuffs. I don't want to see you use your quirk.'

"Dynamight, are you sure about this?" a young policewoman asked as she secured the handcuffs on the professional hero's wrists.

A low grunt was Katsuki's response; he knew it was risky, but he had no options. Besides, he had more opportunities than the hostages did. After all, he was a fucking professional hero.

Once ready, he began to walk to the bank entrance, where one of the villains continued to maintain the shield. The villain let him in without really looking at him by making a small space for him to pass.

A growl escaped the blond's lips. As soon as entering, Katsuki received a punch directly to his face. He stood his ground, but the pain radiated from his right cheek. His red eyes locked directly with the villains, he had his face covered by a mask, but he could see his brown hair.

"You already have me here, idiot. Let the hostages go."

"Hm ... Okay!"

Quickly, the hostages began to leave the bank, one by one. On the other side, a police officer took them to the ambulances so the medical team could treat them. They were all fine, except for a man in his forties who had blood dripping from his arm.

As soon as the last civilian was away from danger, Katsuki began to think about what he should do to get out of the situation and capture the two villains quickly. However, the sound of a shot made him cringe. Pain in his right leg caused him to fall to the ground clenching his teeth not to let out any sound.

"Do you know why I agreed to you coming instead of just keeping the hostages?" For the first time, the other's voice didn't sound like a hyperactive child. His tone was now subtle, calm.

"Because you're an idiot, that's more than obvious," grunted the blond, enduring the pain in his leg, blood running freely, soaking his pants around the injured area.

"Always so arrogant and rude. It's because of you my brother ended up in prison." Pointing his index finger at the blond hero, he activated his quirk again, sending the shoot at his shoulder. "Because of you! My brother ended up in prison!"

Katsuki bit his tongue as he felt the pain now radiate into his shoulder. His quirk was similar to Snipe's, creating projectiles that he could shoot at will.

"If he ended up in prison, it was for being a villain, and you'll end up the same as him when I finish with you, bastard," he said, resisting the pain. Katsuki stood up again. He would not let them see him weak. That would be humiliating.

Katsuki was not the best at dealing with such situations. He threw himself straightforward into danger without caring about anything else. Only weak heroes would cower in front of petty villains. However, Katsuki was not an idiot to provoke the anger of someone who could shoot him, especially not after another two shots at his stomach and his left. This villain must have had no qualms about killing him. 

"Shut up, shut up!" like a maniac, the villain approached the blond and grabbed his hair tightly, making him growl. Katsuki tried to free himself, but any movement made his body seize with pain. "I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you and take my revenge!" He dragged him by the hair to the back of the bank, away from any entrance or windows, and left him there.

"Shield!" The villain screamed for his companion to enter, who indifferently watched the scene. 

"Get the shield ready. We're going to get out of here and kill Dynamight in the process."

Confused, Katsuki tried to move, but his handcuffed hands limited his movement, and he could not use his quirk. He cursed his stupid decision to have accepted without thinking that maybe things could get complicated like this. A new shot to his left leg made him grunt in pain.

"Say goodbye, Dynamight," a new shot was heard, and before the lights went out, the only thing Katsuki could think was that he would not make it to date night with his partners for the first time in more than five years.

Blue hollow eyes looked straight into the wall, stiff and rigid posture. Where was he? How did he get there? The antiseptic smell was a clear indicator that he was in a hospital but why?

His eyes darted around the place, his hands felt numb, and his whole body was cold, was that the reason he was there?

He jumped when Hitoshi placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes caught the lavender orbs of his partner. Hitoshi was looking at him with worry in his beautiful lavender eyes. His whole face looked tinted with it. 

"Neito..." his name sounded weird, almost as if it wasn't his. 

"The nurse said Katsuki is currently in surgery, that the paramedics did make it on time, but his wounds are terrible…we can only wait for now," he paused. "I called my parents and Kat's dad," Hitoshi's soft voice was coming in waves, full of worry and sadness. 

Then it hit him. Neito remembered what had happened and why he was there. Katsuki, his stubborn, beautiful, fantastic partner, got injured during patrol.

"Katsuki... Is he going to be okay?" his voice cracked, and his eyes filled with tears.

Hitoshi sighed and sat next to Neito, holding his hands carefully, kissing them.

"They don't know yet... The nurses didn't tell me much, only that he's currently in surgery, and once he's out, the doctor will talk to us." 

Neito's sob made Hitoshi quickly hug him. His strong partner wasn't the one to cry easily, but he knew that Neito was scared of losing any of them. Hitoshi tried to breathe. He was also worried, one of his partners was currently fighting for his life, and he couldn't do anything.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Neito asked while grabbing Hitoshi's shirt, trying to ground himself. "I don't know, baby. For now, we wait and hope for the best..."

Tsunagu had to take a deep breath before even stepping out of the car. Tsunagu was not in the best state of mind, hearing the news, so Kugo drove. The blond gave his best friend a look when they held his hand in a comforting gesture.

"Katsuki is a strong man. He's going to be okay, Tsunagu," Kugo's voice was calm and collected. 

"I know, I know, I'm... I'm afraid of losing him." Once again, since receiving the call, Tsunagu's voice was shaking. 

"You will not lose him. He'll be okay. He has fought bigger and won. Katsuki is going to be okay." 

Kugo gave the blond a soft smile, trying to reassure him about it. Tsunagu smiled slightly and nodded. Kugo left the car first and opened the passenger door for Tsunagu.

While walking, Tsunagu couldn't help but think about his son. There was a time when Katuski was 16 and exposed to a concerning home life. Ever since Tsunagu discovered the truth, he had fought to adopt Katsuki. Since Katsuki was 16 and he had found some concerning things about his home life, the explosive blond had become Tsunagu's son. He still remembered Katsuki arriving at Genius Office one morning, bruises on his face and arms claiming he was okay to work for his internship. After some research and help from Aizawa, he had discovered the truth behind the Bakugou household.

A few days later, Katsuki was under his custody. Tsunagu was grateful that he did get custody of the boy. Katsuki used to be always full of anger, but he was a good kid, and after some therapy, he got better. He couldn't even imagine not having the boy in his life, so sue him for being worried about his adopted son.

When both pro heroes arrived, Hitoshi and Neito immediately stood up to greet them in the waiting room.

"Mr. Hakamada, Mr. Sakamata," Hitoshi greeted them softly. 

"How is Katsuki?" Tsunagu asked. 

"He's still in surgery," the answer came from Neito. His eyes were red, and it was evident that he had been crying. "We don't know much. The nurses said that we can only wait while the doctors work on him."

"My parents are coming too. We're hoping that maybe Eri or Recovery Girl can help," explained Hitoshi.

"Hopefully, she'll be able to, for now, let's wait," as always, Kugo was the calm one. 

Tsunagu nodded and sat on one of the chairs, trying to be optimistic about everything. Kugo sat down next to him, offering silent comfort. 

"I'm going to get some coffee. Would you like some?" Hitoshi asked softly, watching his father-in-law. 

"I could use some tea," responded the fiber hero. 

"I would like some hot chocolate, Toshi," Neito said softly, almost only for his partner. 

"I'll help you bring them, Hitoshi," the orca hero stood up, receiving a nod from the purple-haired man and leaving with him.

With Hitoshi and Kugo out, Neito felt uncomfortable. He knew he wasn't Tsunagu's favorite person and that he only tolerated him because of Katsuki. 

"Why was Katsuki on patrol? Today was his day off."

His light blue eyes looked at his father-in-law before taking a deep breath and opening his mouth.

"He was covering for Kirishima...Today he and Kaminari had a social worker meeting at their house. Kirishima asked Katsuki to cover him during the morning." 

"I see...Are your parents coming too?" 

"No, I...I haven't told them yet. We were worried about Katsuki, so we came here and... I just haven't found the best moment or words to tell them."

Jeanist didn't say anything more. Just keep quiet. Neito didn't try to talk either. Thinking about his parents was always an issue. They had been doing good for the past year, but they weren't on the best terms yet, not after everything. Sitting close to a window, Neito let his mind get lost in memories from the past.

When Hitoshi and Kugo came back to the waiting room, hands full of different hot beverages, the last thing they were expecting was Neito in full rage. He was screaming something at Kirishima and Kaminari while Sero and Todoroki were trying to make him calm down. Tsunagu was watching both sides worriedly.

Hitoshi didn't think twice and shoved the beverages into Kugo's hands before approaching his enraged partner. Neito's rage melted at the sight of Hitoshi. As soon as Hitoshi wrapped his arms around him, he sobbed.

Silence filled the air. Hitoshi held Neito firmly, stroking his back to comfort him. "Can you give us some space? I'll take care of him, and then we can talk," Hitoshi said in a low voice then turned to his partner.

No one said anything. The others walked away to give the couple some space.

"What happened? We were out for just a couple of minutes," Kugo asked once the couple was out of earshot.

Tsunagu helped his friend with the beverages, taking his tea and the hot chocolate for Neito while sighing and looking at Kirishima and Kaminari. 

"Monoma got angry when he saw Eijirou and Denki," Sero explained with a pained sigh.

"He told me it was my fault that Katsuki is in surgery…." Kirishima murmured. 

"It's not your fault, Eiji. Neito is under too much stress, and he's just trying to blame someone so he can process what happened," Denki held his husband's hand to comfort him.

"Kaminari is right. It isn't your fault, Eijirou," Tsunagu told the red-haired man. 

"But...He would be okay if I had not asked him to cover my shift." Tears streamed from his face. Katsuki was Kirishima's best friend. The knot in his chest took his breath away; no matter what, he couldn't help but blame himself. 

"Kirishima, you had zero knowledge this would happen," Todoroki's words were soft as he held his Sero's hand. "Katsuki is strong. He'll be okay."

Kugo sighed and offered Kirishima a soft smile. "They're right; give Neito some time. He's stressed and hurt, but he'll probably be going to apologize later. He knows it is not your fault; he's trying to cope, and anger is an easy emotion." 

The redhead nodded with a wet smile. Denki smiled at the orca hero, thanking him silently. The four younger ones took a step aside, murmuring soft words to Kirishima to cheer him up a little bit.

On the other side of the room, Hitoshi was holding Neito's body, his right hand stroking his back in an attempt to comfort him. 

"Hey, babe. It's okay. Can you tell me what happened?" Hitoshi asked with a soft, soothing voice. 

"I-I... I don't, I just..." Neito's breathing was erratic, tears running nonstop. 

"Calm down, breathe with me," taking Neito's face with both hands, Hitoshi made the blond look at him. "In for one, out for four, you can do it."

Slowly, Neito's breathing started to calm down. Hitoshi never let him go, going back to hug him. Ever since he had discovered that Neito was prone to panic attacks, Hitoshi had tried to learn how to deal with them. Katsuki was much better than him, of course.

After a few minutes, Neito was finally calm, some tears still finding their way. Hitoshi kissed his forehead and then his lips. 

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. 

"I'm okay. I'm sorry, Toshi," Neito answered, his fists clenching on his partner's shirt. "I don't know what happened, I was waiting for you to come, and then Todoroki and Sero arrived. I-I was talking to them when I saw Kirishima..."

Neito stopped for a moment to breathe, closing his eyes for a second, trying to keep calm. He didn't want to break down again.

"I saw him, and all I could think was that if Katsuki hadn't covered his shift, he would be okay," Neito opened his eyes, looking straight into his partner's lavender ones. "I told him it was his fault... Oh my god, I blamed him, he-he's not. It's not his fault!" 

"Neito, calm down," Hitoshi murmured. "Yes, you shouldn't have said that, but you're under a lot of stress. What if we go and apologize to Kirishima? I'm sure he's already blaming himself." 

A nod was the only answer that he got from Neito. Slowly, always holding his hand, Hitoshi guided Neito towards the rest. They had been kind and kept their distance so as  not to disturb them.

Denki was the first to notice Hitoshi and Neito walking in their direction. He knew that both were having a hard time, but he was ready to fight Neito if he tried to blame Katsuki's incident on his husband.

Denki tightened his grip on Eijirou's hand when the other pair got close enough. 

"I'm sorry for what happened, guys. Neito's not having a good time and is under too much stress," Hitoshi said with a heavy sigh. 

"Kirishima," Neito's blue eyes made contact with Kirishima's red ones, similar to Katsuki's. "I'm sorry for what I said... I-I don't know what happened. I'm... I'm not coping well with this situation, but I shouldn't have said that you're the one to blame because you're not." 

Kirishima's lips trembled at his words, and without thinking, he was embracing Monoma in a hug. Neito was surprised, but he returned the gesture, tears spilling from his eyes.

Denki looked sadly at them both. He knew how important Katsuki was for Eijirou and Neito, and of course for Hitoshi too. His eyes darted towards his best friend. Hitoshi was always the calm and composed one. But also the one who bottled his emotions. 

"Toshi, are you okay?" Denki moved to be a little closer to his best friend, letting Neito and Eijirou have a moment. 

"I'm going to be okay, Denks..." A simple answer that didn't satisfy Denki, but he knew better than to press Hitoshi too much. 

"Please, if you want to talk, I'm here for you... Don't bottle everything up." Hitoshi smiled at Denki's words. Just as Kirishima was close to Katsuki, Denki and Hitoshi always had this weird chemistry that made their relationship special. 

"I know, but I'm okay. I promise that I will come to you if I need to talk. I always do." Denki smiled at Hitoshi, nodding at their agreement. 

At that exact moment, a nurse approached them, making the rest of the group quickly get closer to listen. Tsunagu was holding his cup of tea tightly. Kugo had one of his hands on Tsunagu's shoulder. Sero had an arm around Todoroki's shoulders. All of them were eager to know more about Katsuki's condition. 

"I'm sorry," the nurse started talking with a calming voice. "There are some complications, Mr. Bakugou's quirk has messed up with the anesthesia, and he has lost more blood than we anticipated. Is there anyone who can donate? His blood type is uncommon." 

Neito felt a pit deep on his stomach. He was hoping for better news. But Katsuki was fighting, and now he could do something. "I have the same type of blood; I'll donate," his words were strong and steady while looking at the nurse, who nodded. 

"We need two more donors. Is there anyone else?" the petite nurse asked while looking at the group. Todoroki took a step to the front, rolling his sleeve. 

"I can donate too," Shouto said calmly. Neito gave him a smile in gratitude. 

"One of my dads has the same type of blood; they should be arriving soon," Hitoshi quickly said while texting his pops about it.  

"Very well, he can join as soon as he arrives. Please follow me," the nurse said while looking at Neito and Shouto, who obeyed her, following her to a different room.

Aizawa and Yamada were driving to the hospital. Hitoshi had called them crying, spouting something about Katsuki having a hero-related accident. It took them five minutes to leave the house, Hizashi was driving as fast as possible, but they were far away from the hospital. 

"Hitoshi texted me, they need one more blood donor for Katsuki. Todoroki and Neito are already doing it," Shouta said, calmly reading his phone.  

"I can do that. We're close, just five minutes more," Hizashi nodded. 

Aizawa nodded and sent a text back to his son, letting him know that they were close and soon would be arriving at the hospital. True to his words, around five minutes later. Aizawa and Yamada were parking at the hospital and rushing inside a few moments later.

"Dad, pops," standing up, Hitoshi went to his parents. He felt relief just by seeing them. 

"Toshi, are you okay?" Hizashi immediately embraces his son, stroking his back softly. 

"I am… Thanks for coming…" with a soft voice, Hitoshi let that warm feeling on his chest comfort him while in his father's arms. 

"Everything is going to be okay, Hitoshi. Why don't you go with your pops so he can donate for your partner? I'll be waiting for you." Aizawa cradled his fingers through the purple hair, as he used to when Hitoshi was younger. 

Distancing himself from his pops, Hitoshi nodded and guided Hizashi toward the room where he could donate blood as requested. 

"Thanks for doing this," Hitoshi murmured while walking next to Hizashi. 

"Don't worry, kiddo. Katsuki is your partner, and he's family." Hizashi smiled sweetly to his son. 

Inside the room, Neito and Shouto were in a bed, each while the blood was slowly filling the necessary bags. Hitoshi let his father go with the nurse to prepare himself to donate. He looked at them all, beyond grateful to have his beautiful family. 

Neito had seen Hitoshi and Hizashi, and part of him was glad to know that his in-laws were there. Contrary to his tense relationship with Katsuki’s dad, Hitoshi’s parents were kind to him, maybe because they were also his teachers when they were young, but they were terrific. Now Hizashi was donating blood for Katsuki, and Neito couldn’t be more grateful. 

He sighed, his blue eyes looking to the ceiling, the lights not bright enough to hurt him. Everything was a disaster, Katsuki was fighting for his life, and he could only trust doctors to do the best they could do and help his partner. 

Being heroes, Neito knew that getting hurt was a possible consequence. They were used to being in the hospital when any of them got hurt during a mission or patrol, but it was the first time that Neito was afraid of losing one of his partners. Katsuki was strong, and he was going to be okay, he kept reminding himself. 

Closing his eyes, he couldn’t stop his mind from racing, remembering the past, a smile spreading on his lips while thinking about how those two ended up being the best that had ever happened to him. 

U.A. High School, eight years ago. 

Neito looked around the room; Vlad King had requested them to meet in the gym for some reason. What he didn't expect when the class arrived was to see all Class 1-A there. Were they going to do some exercise together? He just hoped he wouldn't need to pair up with anyone from Class 1-A, except for Hitoshi, the purple-haired boy who was tolerable. 

"Hitoshi, do you know what this is about?" the blond asked his friend; the purple-haired boy just looked at him like he was bored. 

"No one knows; Dad didn't mention any joint exercise," Hitoshi answered while making some space for the blond to sit next to him. 

"I just hope I don't get paired with the Beast of Class A," Neito's comment was enough to make Hitoshi chuckle a little bit. 

It was not a secret that neither Hitoshi nor Neito were fond of the explosive blond from Class 1-A. Hitoshi went as far to complain about it when they were doing homework together. Hitoshi always complained about him being too loud and aggressive, and Neito knew it was true; after all, Bakugo was an asshole and he was constantly screaming.

Hitoshi went to say something, but he quickly shut up by the tone of his dad's voice in front of all of them. 

"Listen, everyone, as you know, we are in the last few months before the final exams arrive, and finally, we will be in the second year," Aizawa's voice was firm but calm. His eyes glanced over all the students as he explained the situation. "For this reason, it is time to let you know about the end-of-course assignment. You will be doing a joint presentation on the differences between mental, passive, and emitting quirks."

"Think about this as the most important assignment of all the year," Vlad joined the conversation while reading the papers he had on his hand. "This assignment has a value of 45% of the final grade of Heroics Class, so please take this seriously."

"The groups have already been decided, so don't bother asking. As heroes, you'll have to team up with different people all the time, so you need to learn to work with each other. That's why we have grouped all of you." Aizawa explained, watching in particular to a certain explosive blond who crossed his arms. 

Neito was sure he was paying for some karma. Maybe he shouldn't have been such a problem for Kendo. How in the heavens did he have such good and bad luck simultaneously? When Aizawa announced the group and Neito heard his name next to Hitoshi, he was excited until he named the other person on the team. 

Bakugou Katsuki, of all people, the Beast of Class A. 

Both Neito and Hitoshi weren't exactly happy, but they didn't even get a chance to protest before Aizawa shut them down with a simple look. 

No other options. They were now having one of the most significant issues. The dorms were under some maintenance. All students were going home, and so, to do the project, they needed to gather somewhere. 

"I don't want you extras coming to my house," and already Bakugou acted like a nightmare. 

"You live close to Midoriya, and it's closer than either of us. Just stop being a nuisance!" Neito screamed to the other blond who looked ready to commit murder. 

"You can't come to my house! No one is allowed to come to my house. I don't care what you think!" Bakugou retorted. He was getting angrier at Monoma's insistence. 

"You-!”

"Enough!" Hitoshi raised his voice, looking towards Neito intensely. "I understand that Bakugou's house is closer and would be convenient, but we can go to my house. I'm sure dad and pop won't mind, and we can even ask for help if necessary, so stop arguing," Hitoshi finished with a calmer voice, similar to Aizawa. 

"Whatever, I'll see you extras tomorrow after class so we can start working on that," Katsuki turned and started walking, leaving the other two alone. 

"He's so annoying!" Neito said to Hitoshi while stomping his foot. 

"I'm not fond of him either, but we need to make this work, and even when I hate it, he's an A student, he's top of the class, so we have to find a way," sighing, Hitoshi gave Neito a slight smile to calm him a little. 

"Good, but I ain't taking it if he keeps being rude!" the blond said. 

Hitoshi avoided commenting that even when Bakugou wasn't his favorite person, Neito was exaggerating a little and antagonizing him a lot. 

Katsuki practically had run after his "conversation" with those two extras. How the hell could he have such luck? Not only did he have to work with them, but the dorms had been closed for the next two weeks, which meant to go back to his parent's house. He wasn't amused at all.

He hadn't talked with his parents since he came out of the closet a few months ago. One day, he sat with his parents and explained to them that he was gay demisexual. He could still feel the pain after his mom had beaten him so bad he barely could make it the next day to class. 

Since then his parents ignored the fact that he came out. They were trying to set him up with girls. His dad even wanted to take him to a club or something so he could be "fixed." They freaked out about the fact he liked guys more than the fact he wasn't exactly into the idea of having a physical relationship with some random stranger.

Katsuki sighed. He stopped right in front of his parents' house. He was carrying a bag. He could only hope he survived the next two weeks under the same roof. 

When Neito arrived home, the silence was the only thing waiting for him. After leaving his bag in his room, he walked around the house, finding a note from his mother. 

"We'll be back at the end of the week, sweetie. 

Rest and eat properly. Love, Mom"

He wasn't even surprised, even when the note sounded sweet, and his mom drew a heart at the end. His relationship with his parents was a little complicated. They were supportive of certain things, like when he told them he wanted to be a hero, but for other things, like expressing his identity and sexuality, they chose to ignore that information. 

They went as far as to tell him it was just a phase and that it was average at his age. He never told anyone. Still, he felt so… invisible. That's why he was so open with his sexuality, his whole personality trying to show that he was there and that he wasn't just a simple copycat, as that brute from Class A likes to call him. 

Neito took a glass of water while walking to the living room. He was still a little upset that Bakugou had been so reluctant to let them go to his house. Objectively, of course, going to Hitoshi's house was much better because Aizawa or Yamada could offer a different view, but it was upsetting that he kept barking orders.

Indeed, he was grateful for Hitoshi. The purple-haired boy was a saint. He did not understand how Hitoshi could be so calm and composed all the time. It was amazing. He just wanted this project to be over already. 

Hitoshi sighed, completely exhausted. Working with Neito itself was already an odyssey to some extent. Although he had no problems with the blond, Neito was able to understand him in more ways than any other person he knew, but this mix with Bakugou was more than his patience could bear.

Despite being in the same class, Hitoshi did not know much about his loud classmate. Bakugou was always elusive and was usually surrounded by his friends. The famous "Bakuquad" was well known to everyone. Although the others were friendly, especially Denki, with whom he could tell he had a close friendship, the others were all too much, especially together.

Monoma, on the other hand, could become quieter, softer even when they were alone. He was louder when surrounded by other people like members of his class, sometimes being a bit more aggressive when class A was around.

"Toshi? Everything alright?" Hizashi's voice made him turn to see the blond coming through the door.

"Yes, pops. I'm just thinking about how to keep Neito and Bakugou from destroying my room or the house when they come tomorrow," Hitoshi sighed, flopping fully onto the sofa where he had been sitting.

Hizashi laughed and messed up the boy's hair with one hand. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Bakugou is an honor student, and I'm sure the mere idea of getting a perfect score will be more than enough to make him collaborate."

"I hope so, pops…."

The next morning came too early, and the day at school ended faster than Hitoshi expected, and by the time he knew it, he was home with the two troublesome blonds he had to work with to pass the class.

"Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get some tea," Hitoshi murmured as he set his bag down on the sofa.

Bakugou went straight to one of the single chairs, leaving his bag just to one side, looking casually around. Katsuki was trying to ignore Neito who had appropriated the other single chair and was staring at him intently.

Hitoshi returned after about 10 minutes, the atmosphere had turned tense and uncomfortable. He calmly served everyone tea, arming himself with as much patience as possible.

"Well, I think the main thing is to do some research," Hitoshi said as he took a few books out of his bag. "I got these from the library, let's do some reading, and then we can express our own opinions to start."

Hitoshi tried to relax thinking that Bakugou, being a model student with perfect grades, would concentrate on the project and not on killing his teammates.

The minutes passed quickly, each of them immersed in their own studies. The tension even disappeared, giving a moment of peace. 

The sound of an alarm made everyone snap out of their trance. Katsuki quickly pulled out a cell phone. He would have to go home soon. In particular, he didn't want to make his mother angry and sleep in the park, as he had already on previous occasions.

"I need to get home early. I'll leave in the next 20 minutes," the blond said calmly, though his brow furrowed as usual. 

Hitoshi looked at him and nodded. Although it seemed a bit early, he had no reason to question the rules or the lifestyle that Bakugou had.

"It is irresponsible of you to simply walk away when there is still so much to do," Neito uttered. Hitoshi swore that he was going to hit Neito for opening his mouth when he didn't have to.

"Oh quit messing around. We still have time for this, and I have to go!" Bakugou yelled at the other blond, clearly angry at Neito's comment.

"Neito, it's okay. Bakugou is right. There's still time to finish this, so let's write down his opinion, and we can talk it out tomorrow," Hitoshi said, earning a glare from Neito, who nodded reluctantly. 

Hitoshi took out his cell phone and turned on the voice recorder function, earning a questioning look from Katsuki.

"It's easier this way, then I can put the audio down on paper," he explained calmly, getting Bakugou to nod, wanting to get it over with quickly.

"Well, mental type quirks usually have a wide spectrum; however, they also have the most repercussions. It is easy to suffer from different problems on a physical level. It is the same for those who have emitting quirks. Depending on the type of quirks, the repercussions may be more or less," Katsuki explained calmly, staring at the other two.

"That's a good point; from my own experience, my quirk gives me migraines when I overuse it," Hitoshi commented, Katsuki's point being pretty accurate.

"However, those that have passive quirks tend to have minor repercussions, on top of that with quirks that aren't necessarily suited to the battlefield and frequently may not be useful in heroic pursuits," Katsuki continued his speech, not noticing the annoyed look of Neito. "They tend to have more disadvantages than advantages. In addition to that, on many occasions, they are dependent on other heroes to be able to make their quirks work, besides…." Katsuki couldn't finish speaking when the sound of Neito hitting the table made him stop.

"You're fucking arrogant! Just because you have an emitter-type quirk doesn't mean those of us who don't have it are weak!" Neito yelled as he glared at the other blond.

"You won't even let me finish!" Bakugou exploded, letting some sparks escape from his hands.

"I don't want to listen to you! Only someone like you could discriminate against people with different quirks like that!" Neito wasn't listening. He was just getting carried away with rage. And so what happened next, no one could predict. "I bet you’re the kind of guy who would tell a quirkless person to jump off a rooftop!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Neito regretted them. Silence reigned in the room; even Hitoshi was utterly stunned at Neito's words. The next thing they heard was how Bakugou took his things and quickly left the house. He didn't fight, and he didn't argue. He just ran away, putting on his shoes hastily.

"Neito, what did you do?" Hitoshi's words were the last thing to break the silence.

"Neito?" Monoma came out of his thoughts and memories when he heard his partner's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry, Toshi, I just remembered when we had to get together because of that activity that Aizawa and Vlad gave us," Neito laughed, it had been a while, and they could laugh about it, but at the time, Neito felt that he was drowning in guilt.

Hitoshi laughed at Neito's comment; of all the things that could be going through the blond's head, this was not one he was expecting. "Well, at first, it was a bit complicated, but we already have more than five years together."

"It's true…." Neito smiled, even though no one was sure their relationship would last, they now had an apartment and were happy together.

The laughter slowly began to fade. Neito turned to Hitoshi and sighed. "Any word from Katsuki?"

"Not yet. We have to be patient. I'm sure everything will work out, Katsuki is strong, and he's not going to give up that easily," Hitoshi said, taking Neito's hand and kissing it. Hitoshi tried to continue, taking a deep breath, "However, we know something about the villain who caused all this. Midoriya was able to capture him. He is locked up, Neito…."

Neito squeezed his partner's hand tightly and nodded, his eyes closed for a brief moment. The villain that had caused this all was behind bars now, everything would be fine. "Katsuki will be upset that Midoriya captured the villain and not him."

They both laughed.

Katsuki had run away from Hitoshi's house without even a second thought, a bitter taste on his lips as Monoma's words replayed like a broken record in his head. Katsuki wasn't proud of how he had acted or the things he had said when he was in middle school, but he had tried his best to change, to be better.

The subject was sensitive for him; even when he had opened up to the entire "squad," it had not been easy, but they had made him feel better by recognizing his effort to change. Neito's words had made him remember. The sting reopened that wound.

Taking a deep breath, Katsuki stopped his footsteps when, without realizing it, he was already in front of his parents' house. When had he arrived? Had he been lost in his thoughts so much? Taking his phone, he checked the time. He was late by at least 10 minutes; the mere idea of what could happen made him feel chills all over his body.

As quietly as he could, he opened the door. If he was lucky, he could make it to his room unnoticed. He didn't want to meet his mother.

Katsuki hadn't finished entering the house when the smell of alcohol and tobacco made him nauseous. He kicked off his shoes, ensuring they were out of the way and neatly organized before he finished entering, the door closing behind him.

The smell of tobacco and alcohol grew more intense as he walked down the narrow hallway. The stairs were his goal. It would be a win if he got to them without bumping into his mom.

"Katsuki! Where the hell were you, brat?!" Mitsuki's voice was full of anger, although slurry.

"I was at my teammate's house for the work we have to deliver at the end of the course," Katsuki answered immediately; not doing it would only bring him problems.

"I TOLD YOU, YOU HAD TO BE HERE ON TIME!" Mitsuki tossed the bottle in her hand and hurled it at Katsuki, smashing it to pieces next to the blond's head as it hit the wall behind him.

"I'm sorry..." Katsuki bit his lower lip, a tremor running through his body.

Mitsuki got up from the couch where she was, bottles scattered on the floor and the coffee table. Staggering, she reached at Katsuki, grabbing his hair tightly and slamming him against the wall. "Mom!" the blond yelled at the rough treatment.

"What’s this!?" She dragged Katsuki by his hair and threw him towards the coffee table, taking his backpack with two pins attached to it, the pride flag and the demisexual flag. Shit, Katsuki had gotten those from Denki and he forgot to take them off.

He tried to defend himself when his mom started hitting him, but she didn’t listen. Why was it always like this? Why did his parents hate him so much? Was it him for being gay? For being demi? Why?

Mitsuki hit the blond's head hard against the table. The table broke under the pressure. The last thing Katsuki thought was that he was going to die.

A couple of minutes later, Katsuki woke up. He was dizzy, nauseous. He wasn't sure where he was or what was going on. He kept his gaze fixed on the roof pattern, the memories came a few seconds after. He was starting to feel cold. He needed to do something.

Katsuki felt the dizziness and nausea intensify as he began to move. He was slowly able to turn to the side, his right hand searching the pockets of his pants until he found his phone. His vision was blurry, so he speed dialed the only person he knew could help him.

Tsunagu had been having quite a stressful day. One of his sidekicks had called in sick, his favorite design had failed quality testing, and now one of his design trainees had ruined a  sample from the upcoming collection.

Tsunagu sighed, completely exhausted. He just wanted to go home and rest. He was about to leave the office when his phone rang.

Incoming call: Bakugou Katsuki.

— Jeans here. Katsuki, what's wrong?

— H-Help... Tsu... Tsu... help...

—- Katsuki! What happens?! Where are you?!

— H-Home… please… help me.

After that short line, the communication died, Tsunagu immediately set off towards his student's house, Katsuki never asked for help... The boy always managed by himself, so hearing him ask for help with such a broken tone had set off all of Tsunagu's alarms.

By the time he got to the area, he didn't hesitate to break into the house. The smell of alcohol and tobacco was intense, to the point that Tsunagu had to cover his nose due to how severe it was.

As he entered the property, Tsunagu gasped as he saw Katsuki on the ground, her head bleeding and his phone in his hand.

The sound of the police patrol and the ambulance filled the entire street.

Tsunagu sighed as he looked at the tea in his hands. He wasn't sure how long it had been since they had arrived at the hospital. They still had no word on whether the surgery had gone well.

Hizashi had left the room where he was donating blood just like Todoroki. Kugo had never left his side and was thankful for his friend.

"Tsunagu, are you alright?" Aizawa asked when he noticed the slight tremor in Tsunagu's hands.

"Yeah, it's just…." Tsunagu took a deep breath before replying. "It's not the first time Katsuki is fighting for his life. When Mitsuki last hit him, he got out of it acting as if it was nothing, but he was fighting so hard to go back to normal."

"I remember that, but Katsuki is a spitfire, he is strong, and he’ll be fine," Hizashi commented as he gently took Shouta's hand.

"Tsu, Katsuki is practically invincible; he'll be fine," Kugo smiled at his friend and squeezed his trembling hand.

Aizawa had spent that afternoon with a bad feeling. He had called Hizashi to check that everything was alright with Hitoshi, but everything seemed to be in order. However, the overwhelming dread that something terrible was about to happen never went away. Therefore, he was already prepared for any scenario when his phone rang.

The news from Tsunagu left him completely speechless. He had always had his suspicions about Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugou. However, without proof, it was impossible to do anything. Besides, he had been extremely busy with the paperwork to adopt Eri officially.

—  I'm going to call Hizashi to be there as soon as possible.

Hitoshi was going downstairs to get a new water bottle, texting Neito. After the disaster which had ended everything that afternoon, Hitoshi couldn't help but feel guilty for not intervening, not doing something, not stopping Neito.

Neito wasn't okay either. The blond was in shock for a long moment before Hitoshi snapped him out of his stupor. That's why they were now trying to find a way to fix things.

Suddenly his father’s voice filled the house. "Which hospital is Katsuki in?" How serious are the injuries?”

Hitoshi stopped immediately, listening to his father's saying, was Bakugou in the hospital? What had happened? The blond had run away after what had happened. Had he had an accident because of that? Hitoshi immediately wrote one more message to Neito.

“Bakugou is in the hospital.”

Neito felt uncomfortable. After what had happened that afternoon, the guilt was consuming him, especially after he and Hitoshi had argued. Hitoshi had told him that he had been cruel and shouldn't have done something like that. Neito tried to defend himself, but there was no way. It was true. He had acted without thinking.

After that, Neito went home. There was no point in continuing the project after the situation had become so tense.

Once he had gotten home, he was alone again. He went straight to his room, flopping on the bed and sighing. He was an idiot.

Shortly after, Hitoshi began to write him a small apology for their argument, but he again told him that he should apologize to Bakugou for what happened. Neito was slow to respond, but in doing so, he made sure to express that he was going to offer an apology to the other blond.

They talked for a while longer before Hitoshi's last message came "Bakugo is in the hospital" Neito’s mouth dropped. What had happened? Why? What if it was his fault that the blond had an accident after the argument?

Neito felt like he was drowning in guilt.

Days passed, Hitoshi tried to convince his dad to tell him what had happened to Bakugou after hearing him on the phone, but Aizawa refused. He only said that the blond would be fine, he just needed a few days to rest, and he would go back to class. He also told him not to worry about the work they had to deliver because, if necessary, due to the situation, he and Vlad had agreed to give them extra time.

That didn't make Hitoshi happy, but he couldn't do anything about it. Neito had suggested following Aizawa, but that was practically impossible. The underground hero would notice them in a second.

And so the rest of the week came to an end, the weekend spent in uncertainty. The following Monday, Hitoshi was in his seat, trying to take a nap before classes started.

"Hey, eyebags. When are we going to meet again?" Hitoshi immediately stood up from his desk, staring at Bakugou as if he would disappear at any moment.

"You… what the hell happened to you?" Bakugou furrowed his eyebrows as if he was annoyed by the question, a fairly common gesture.

"Not your problem, eyebags," Bakugou responded with a roll of his eyes. "We can meet at my new house tomorrow; make sure you tell the other idiot."

And without saying another word, the blond went to his seat, where his friends instantly began to ask him questions. Katsuki had bandages all over his body, a black eye, and several bandages on his head. He looked like he had been in a fight he had lost.

The next day, Neito and Hitoshi waited for the blond right after school. Neito had also been surprised to see Bakugou wholly beaten, but he hadn't commented. He hadn't apologized yet. He planned to do so that afternoon while they were working.

When Katsuki joined them, he brushed past them, heading for a car parked right in front that seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Move over, idiots, we don't have all day," Bakugo said, barely glancing at the other two.

Hitoshi and Neito followed Katsuki to the car. Both were surprised when getting in; Tsunagu Hakamata, Best Jeanist, was in civilian clothes in the driver's seat.

"You must be Katsuki's classmates; I'll take you home where you can work without any problem. And I'll take you home as soon as you finish, so don't worry if you finish late." Tsunagu smiled at the two teenagers, who thanked them for going to the trouble.

The car ride was a bit awkward. No one spoke at all. Even arriving at what Neito and Hitoshi assumed was the Best Jeanist's apartment. Everything was impeccable inside the home, it looked luxurious too, and it was not surprising considering that Best Jeanist was the top 3 hero and a famous designer.

"Katsuki, I think it's more comfortable if you go to your room. I will prepare some snacks and bring them to you in a bit, okay?" Tsunagu looked directly at the crimson-eyed blond, who nodded.

"Follow me extras," Katsuki started walking, motioning for the other two to follow.

Katsuki's room looked a bit normal. There were a few All Might posters on the walls and some figures on the shelves. What drew the most attention were the boxes stacked in one corner of the room.

"Sit wherever you want, I haven't had time to finish unpacking, but it shouldn't be a problem for us to get to work," Katsuki commented as he looked at the other two indifferently.

Hitoshi and Neito made room on the floor, pulling out books and notebooks from their backpacks. The silence was awkward. Neito could only think of how to start a conversation so he could apologize for his last words to the blond.

"Hey, Bakugou," he called in a firm voice, although inside, he felt that he was dying of nerves. "I am sorry for my actions and what I said last time. It was inappropriate of me."

"Tks… Whatever, I don't need your apologies," Katsuki said as he turned on the laptop, not even bothering to look at Neito. "However, as a word of advice, take that off your backpack. It's going to get you in trouble," Katsuki's red eyes collided with Neito's blue ones as he pointed to the pins in his backpack.

Neito was surprised and frowned. This time Hitoshi did too and was the first to speak. "That's rude of you; if you have a problem, keep it to yourself. Neito doesn't have to hide being gay or demi because it makes you uncomfortable."

"Don't be an idiot. I'm not saying that. Just look at me," the blond said as he pointed to the evident injuries all over her body. "Because I was different, my mother hit me so hard that I had to miss school days, and my mentor had to bail me out! If he doesn't want to end up the same, he should be more careful about what he shows."

Silence reigned again. Katsuki took out his books, ignoring the other two, and began making notes regarding the work they had to do.

Neito and Hitoshi didn't know what to say. Had Bakugou's mother hit him like that for being… gay? Demi maybe? That was a revelation that neither was expecting at all. They silently went about their business, not trying to bring it up again.

Hitoshi and Neito walked together back to their friends and family. Kaminari and Kirishima were talking with Sero and Todoroki while Aizawa, Yamada, Tsunagu, and Kugo were whispering about something and even laughing a little bit. 

"How are you feeling, Neito?" Shouta asked his son-in-law after a brief look at him.

"I'm okay. I got a little dizzy after donating blood; I stayed a bit more because of it," the blond explained while offering a small smile. 

"Then it's good you're feeling alright. Kat won't be happy if you drop unconscious for donating blood," Sero intervened in the conversation, causing everyone to laugh. 

"He'll be mad I took the spotlight," Neito kept the joke going, smiling at the idea. His competitive partner always wanted to be the best, even in weird situations. 

"Yeah, better tone it down with the competitiveness. Again, I don't want any of you competing to see who can be better than the other. Last time you idiots almost burned the house down," Hitoshi sighed, remembering the last competition between his partners. 

"Excuse me, are you Hakamada Katsuki's family?" the soft voice of a male made all of them stop and turn to look at him. "I'm Dr. Kishida. I'm in charge of Mr. Hakamada's case." 

"How's Katsuki? Is he okay?" Tsunagu quickly asked while standing up from his chair and looking at the doctor. 

"He's out of surgery already, it was a little complicated, but fortunately, our staff could repair all the damage. You'll be able to see him soon. A nurse will let you know his room. He's a strong guy," the doctor said with a soft smile on his lips. "He'll need rest for a while, so make sure he doesn't try to go back to work as soon as he's up again." 

The relief everyone felt was incredible, finally, after waiting for so long. Katsuki was okay. He was safe. 

Neito started crying again. Katsuki was going to be okay. He was strong, the strongest, and he was alive. 

The doctor excused himself and left the group by themselves. All of them were happy that they would see Katsuki soon and that he was okay. 

The rest of the day in Katsuki's house was without many words. They talked only when necessary to share something about the project—otherwise, just silence. 

Tsunagu brought them some food and drinks to share, and by the time they finished that day, it was late in the night. 

As promised, Tsunagu told them he would drive the two teenagers home. Katsuki stood in the entry, watching them put on their shoes; his tutor was already in the car waiting for the other two. 

"Bakugou," Neito spoke, turning on his heels to watch the other blond boy. "You don't have to feel ashamed of who you are." 

"Ah!? What are you talking about, copycat!?" Katsuki frowned and crossed his arms. 

"Being different doesn't mean it's bad. It means we're unique," Neito said, taking a deep breath. 

"What Neito means, it's that's no shame in being gay, ace, pan or whatever. I'm sorry your parents were horrible to you," Hitoshi continued what Neito was saying. 

"You're valid. I'm valid. Hitoshi is valid. Don't feel like you have to hide from others," Neito smiled at him. "If they give you shit, tell us. I'm sure I can convince Hitoshi to mind control them." 

Hitoshi laughed and nodded. "Don't need to convince me. I'll do it anyway. So Bakugou, feel free to reach us if you want to talk about it. Although I think Neito can help you more, I'm in a different part of the spectrum." 

Not saying anything else, the two boys took their leave. Katsuki was shocked. He didn't expect them to understand a little or empathize with him.

When the boys were already almost gone, Katsuki moved. "Oi, eyebags, copycat!" he screamed their nicknames. "I'll see you tomorrow!" 

The next day Katsuki showed up to class with a demisexual flag on his bag, no one commented on it. But Neito and Hitoshi shared a smile when a red-faced Katsuki told them a soft thank you.